So, what do you think about the village in the photograph? Do these houses seem unusual? They don’t? Nothing out of the ordinary? Well, look again! Before you stand not run-down, old-fashion looking houses but a unique environmental site and an important monument protected by the state of Serbia. Meet the stone village of Gostuša!

Who still builds houses out of stone? They are rare nowadays. But you’ll agree with us when we say that a village, nearly all the buildings of which are built out of stone and nearby found materials, can be considered a remarkable rarity. You can’t believe such a place exists? You have no choice but to trust us because we’ve got proof! We’re talking about a village on the slopes of mt. Stara Planina whose story will fascinate you completely!

The village of Gostuša, or the Stone Village as it is also called, is located 700 m above sea level and is part of the Nature Park Stara planina. The thing that makes this unusual place in eastern Serbia so special is the unique architecture preserved in its authentic condition.

Interesting and uncommon, the story of Gostuša spread across the borders of Serbia and attracted the attention of experts worldwide. The reason for this lies in the houses built from stone, mud and other natural materials that the locals found in the surroundings of Stara planina.

Stara-planina-izmedju-sela-Dojkinsi-i-Rsavci1-1024x6391

Apart from being a real curiosity for architects from across the globe, these households are special for preserving their authentic appearance.

Of course, there’s also the fact that this is not a case with only one house or two or three of them, but an entire village once inhabited by around 1,500 and now by only about a hundred. This is why this old village represents a unique environmental site and a natural, cultural and historical monument on the protection, research and promotion of which has been worked on for a couple of years now.

What has been agreed on so far is that the houses were built without mortar or any other binding material, but with the technique called “suvozidica” (roughly translated: drywall or drybuild). It means that the base material aren’t tiles but stone plates. Therefore, all buildings from their base to their roofs are made from stone. A great deal of craftsmanship, experience and hardwork are required to to build such a house.

The village of gostuša
Photo: www.opanak.rs

This technique has been used in Gostuša for centuries and the results speak for themselves. You can see them in the houses that don’t crumble under the decay of time even though they are old and run-down. And that’s exactly what makes them so unique, rare and a thing you simply have to witness and experience.

“The conservation and research study of the Gostuša village” project carried out by the Institution for the Cultural Monuments Preservation of Niš has been supported by the Ministry of Culture and Information with over 2 million Serbian dinars. This is a very important step for the preservation and promotion of this place. Gostuša currently holds the status it was awarded by the previous act of the Preservation of cultural heritage.

The huge potential of this stone village can also be attributed to the vicinity of the abundant natural and cultural wealth of this part of Serbia. We’re referring to the beautiful mt. Stara planina and the city of Pirot with its diverse tangible and intangible cultural heritage.

Selo Gostusa
Photo: www.panoramio.com

And if you add to that the delicious gastronomic delicacies of this part of Serbia, the most special of which is the Pirot hard cheese, there are plenty of reasons to take a stroll down the narrow winding streets of Gostuša. So, next time you find yourself thinking what interesting place in Serbia you could visit, remember the Gostuša village – a little mountain paradise!

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GostusaPirotStara planinaThe Stone Village of Gostuša

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